Los Angeles daily herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1884-1890, 1887-11-27
INTELLIGENT CURPSE.
A Courtsbip Carried on by
aDead Man.
A YOUNG LADY IN THE TOLLS
The Ingenious Device Of an Un-
dei taker to Entertain His Wis
itOrs-HOw it Worked.

A great many people are under the
impression that when the breath is
out of the body there is nothing ami
mate or intelligent remaining. 1t is
true that religion teaches us to believe
that the better part of MANTLE soul
Lives after the collapse of the men,
ia, frame. But nowhere until recently
has the idea ever been advanced that
o corpse can be SO arranged under
the ministr itons of science as to pre-
serve the intelligence and perspicacity
O. the natural man. 1t has, however,
been left to an undertaken of this city
TO demonstrate that this very thing
can be done.
Not great while since there died in
San Francisco gentleman who was
on visit to this co st from the East.
He was apparently person who CON-
manded sufficient means for all the
ordinary purposes OF life, but when he
died only a small sum of money was
found in his possession. His rela-
tives were communicated with, and
instructions came from his wife to
have the body embalmed, preparatory
to shipment to his old home in the
East. This was done, and the bill,
representing rather a steep figure, for
warded to the grieving widow. The
sum so far exceeded her expectations,
that she Indignantly refu ed to pay it,
and the corpse was left on the hands
of the undertaken. This gentleman had
read somewhere that in a similar case
down in Arizona the conductor of
funerals had utilized the corpses left
on his hands as an advertise ment for
his trade. Acting upon this sugges-
ton he had the cadaver in question
taken from the neat metallic coffin to
which it had been fitted and dressed
up in a Prince Albert suit, adjusted to
a sitting position in an a m-chair in
the back parlor of his establishment.
So perfectly had the embalming
been ACCOMPLISHED, that with the ex-
ception of the cravish pallor which
oyerspread the face, the dead man
looked as natural as life. The circum-
stance suggested to an ingenious
Young man connected with the under
taking establishment the idea of it,
ling the corpse for entertaining Wis
itors. 10 this end the chair in which
it sat was placed against thin par
tition. which had been previousle
pierced for the reception OF a speaking
tube. This was so arranged that thy
tube rested against the coat collar OF
the CORPSE. By speaking through this
from the other side of the partition,
in the dim light of the back parlor, to
the casual observer it appeared as il
the corpse was talking, .e
Fortunately, however, the upright
position and graceful poise of the
BODY of this interesting person, led
all who looked upon it to conclude
THAT it was only middle-a Led gentle
man sitting there at his ease. But
this was not all. The undertaker's
ingenious clerk had attached to the
right arm of the corpse the wire of a
galvanic battery. and by the proper
manipulation OF the instrument he
could cause the arm to rise or fall or
gently curve around any object near
| it.
One day a spinster lady of uncertain
aye came into the parlor to make
some INQUIRIES relative to a prospect.
i've funeral. As she entered, the
corpse, which she supposed to be a
well-dressed visitor, GRACEFUL" bow
ing. invited her to ia Ike seat at his
side. where a vacant chair was ready
for her service.
"Take seat, Miss, sit here, (indi
eating the chair, l am charmed to
have the pleasure of seeing in this
desolate apartment a lady of such fas-
cinations.
"You are very polite. am sure ,,
murmured the fiattered fair one.
~ make it a point, my dear" con.
tinued the CORPSE, sto note every
beautiful face that comes into this
room. You must know that remain
here all the time, night and day, and
INV only happiness consists in receiy-
inc and entertaining the occasional
visitor"
"Whv. how curious! You STAY
there all the time ?"
"All the time. nv dear. night and
|dav. In fact. I never leave this
chair - softly and sadly rema, ked the
dead man.
Are Won doing a penance. sir ?''
inonired the lady
ooh, no. the undertaken is INV
iailor.';
For a single moment the lady was
frightened. The thought occurred to
her that she was in the presence of a
maniac and a thrill of apprehension
shot through her heart. But the
calm serene face reossnred her. and
when the corpse gently raised itsright
arm and calmly encircled her waist
She no LONGER doubted its sanity.
"You are very beautiful. nv dear, ~
sighed the middle-aped cadaver.
HOh sir how strangely YOU talk -
and The lady blushed to the TIPS of
her nink-like ears.
"You see. nv dear, to lonely man
like mvself. condemned to sit dav af-
Far dav in This darkened chamber.
NNA , ~